Johannes Brouwer (1756-1836)
|christening_year=1756 |christening_month=10 |christening_date=10 |christening_locality=Leiden |christening_nation-subdiv1=South Holland |christening_nation=Netherlands }} Early life Johannes Brouwer was christened on 10 October 1756 at the Marekerk, Leiden (Nederlandse Hervormde). His parents were Isaac Brouwer and Johanna Wilhelmina Lamothe, both born in Leiden around 1722. The witness to the christening was Hermina Brouwer, most likely a relative of Isaac. Isaac worked as a "brandersknegt", which translates to a servant or assistant of a burner. Isaac and Johanna had two other sons, Dirk in 1753 in Jacobus in 1760. First "marriage" In about 1779, Johannes had his first child, a son also named Johannes. The mother was Johanna 'Anna' de Meij, a local cotton spinner. They had four children in total: *Johannes Brouwer (1779-1850), a carter, labourer and florist, lived in Haarlem. *Helena Brouwer (c1780-1866), briefly a shopkeeper, married to Hendrik van den Eijkhof, a labourer, and lived in Haarlem. *Johanna Brouwer (c1786-1869), married to Samuel Madarasz, a smith, and lived in Haarlem in her later years. *Hermina Brouwer (c1792-1815), unmarried with no occupation, died at home aged 23. Although documents describe Johannes and Johanna as husband and wife, it appears as though they never married. On Johanna's death certificate in 1824, she is described as the "widow of Johannes Brouwer", which is inaccurate as Johannes outlived her by twelve years. Likewise, on Johanne's marriage record to Maria Jacoba Springer, he is described as the widower of Johanna de Mey, however she lived twenty-five further years. It is likely they lived together for some time, probably between the 1770s and the 1790s, but went their separate ways. "Second" marriage On 8 September 1798 in Johannes Brouwer married Maria Jacoba Springer. The information provided on the record is as follows: *Groom: Johannes Brouwer, living in Maren, widower of Johanna de Mey. *Bride: Maria Jacoba Springer, born in Leyden, living in Maren. The groom's witness was Elisabeth Staal, his friend living in Klaaresteeg; the bride's witness was Abraham Springer, her father, living in Langegragt. The document also states that the groom brought four children into the marriage. It is unknown if Johannes and Johanna deliberately lied about their marital status or assumed the other had died. It is unlikely the latter, because they lived close to each other for the rest of their lives. Indeed, Johanna and Maria both lived in Langegracht. Middle life Johannes and Maria remained very close to Maria's father and stepmother, with Johannes signing both their death certificates. When Abraham Springer, an eighty-six year old clock maker died in 1812, Johannes reported the death, citing his age as fifty-six and his occupation as "marchand de vieux habits" - roughly translated as a merchant of vintage clothing. In 1813 Johannes traveled to Haarlem to attend his son's wedding to Cornelia van der Vossen. He signed as a witness, stating that he was fifty-seven and a shoemaker. In 1814 Maria's stepmother Johanna Catharina Essink married for the third time, to parchment maker Nicolaas van den Enden, aged 78 and 79 respectively. Johannes signed as a witness, now aged fifty-eight and having no occupation. In 1815 Johannes signed as the witness on his daughter's death certificate. This record states that he was fifty-eight, and interestingly living in Langegracht, the same street where his former partner Johanna de Meij was living at the time. On 4 April 1824 Johanna de Meij died aged 68. She died at Langegracht 804, and was still working as a spinner when she died. In 1825 Maria's eighty-five year old German-born stepmother died, and Johannes signed her death certificate. He was sixty-nine and a "steenkolenmeter", which was a city official whose job it was to measure and record the weight of coal. Later life Johannes died on 17 September 1836, aged 79, less than a month before his eightieth birthday. He had no occupation and died at Kerkplein 335, survived by his wife Maria and three children, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren, most of whom were living in Haarlem. Maria Jacoba Springer died on 19 November 1854 aged 84. Gallery JohannesBrouwer.png|Death certificate __SHOWFACTBOX__